In honor of Frank Lee and other Chinese American veterans of WWII
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest award by Congress bestowed to a civilian. On April 16, a ceremony was held on the famous battleship USS Iowa to posthumously award the honor to Frank Lee, which was received by his daughter Betty Lee Wong.
Frank was a United States Navy Chinese American World War II veteran, petty officer second class, Pearl Harbor, 1944-46.
“On May 4, 2017 bi-partisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate (S.1050) and U.S. House of Representatives (H.R.2358) for the passage of the Chinese American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act. On September 12, 2018, S.1050 was passed in the Senate. The U.S. House of Representatives passes the bill on December 12, 2018. The bill was signed into law (Pub. L. 115-337) by President Trump on December 20, 2018,” according to the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project.
The Chinese American Citizens Alliance explains why Chinese American WWII veterans should receive a Congressional Gold Medal:
Chinese American men and women served in every theater of WWII and sacrificed their lives defending American values of freedom. Their acts of patriotism, loyalty and courage occurred at a time when the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and its discrimination impacts were in place.
The Chinese Exclusion Act, which was in effect during WWII, prevented non-U.S.-born Chinese Americans from obtaining citizenship. However, as many as 20,000 Chinese Americans served, nearly 1 in 5 Chinese Americans, and 40 percent without citizenship.
Nisei soldiers of World War II and Filipino soldiers of World War II were also honorees.
Frank Lee lived the American dream and was a quintessential example of the Greatest Generation. He was born Nov. 25, 1925, in San Francisco, the son of Chinese immigrants. He started out working as a young vegetable farm hand in Sanger.
Just after Frank turned 16, the Japanese navy bombed our Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in a surprise attack on Dec. 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor was located near Honolulu, in the Hawaiian Islands, which is now Hawaii.
In May 1944, he was drafted in Fresno at age 18 into the United States Navy, not having completed high school. Frank spent 10 weeks at the National Training School in Farragut, Idaho, and then in San Francisco, before being assigned to Naval Air Station Ford Island at Pearl Harbor. Frank completed his service and was honorably discharged in May 1946 at age 20, separating at the Shoemaker separation center, in what is now Dublin, Calif., near the 580/680 interchange.
After the war, Frank married his wife, Hing Lee, in 1947, celebrating their 69th wedding anniversary in 2016 with their four children and several grandchildren.
Frank Lee resided in Wasco since 1953. He and his family started their own business, National Market, which lasted 61 years and employed many local young people.
Frank was a proud member of Honor Flight Kern County, traveling to Washington, D.C., with the November 2014 contingent with his son Robert as guardian. He eagerly wore his flight jacket every day and said it made him really proud to be an American. When he was out and about, many kids and parents would come up to shake his hand and thank him for his service.
Frank’s spiritual journey was a long one. Many in his family were Christians, but it was not until his last week of life that he made the greatest decision in his life, to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. This miracle was due to the prayers of his family over many years and the help of Pastor Robin Robinson of Canyon Hills Assembly of God, who saw him through his last days until his passing in February 2017.
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Month and National Military Appreciation Month.